Relearning to Hear: Gradual Adaptation System May Improve Cochlear Implant Success.

Byline: Indiana University School of Medicine

SEATTLE, Feb. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Cochlear implants can provide a return to the world of sound for some deaf patients, but learning to "hear" with them can require much effort. Scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine are developing ways to speed that process. Mario Svirsky, Ph.D., professor of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, discussed his work at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science here.

Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices that stimulate the auditory nerve to enable profoundly deaf persons to sense and understand speech. Adults who have …